Hydrographic Capacities Assessment in Western Africa

Transcription

1 Hydrographic Capacities Assessment in Western Africa By Western Africa Action Team: Michel Le Gouic, Michel Even and Dom inique Baggio, France, Fernando Pim entel and Paolo Brandao, Portugal, Ian Turner and Mike Barrit, U nited Kingdom and Bob Bullard, USA This article provides some information obtained by a team of international hydrographic experts representing the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) Eastern Atlantic Hydrographic Commission (EAtHC). Our mandate was to collect information in West African countries within NAVAREA II in an effort to determine what could be done to improve charting and safety of navigation in the region. The experience gained could be applied to other maritime regions of the world. The N ew SOLAS Convention and the West A frican Needs The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has revised the Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). A newly revised chapter V was adopted in December 2000, entering into force on 1 July This revision details the obligation of maritime states to provide hydrographic services. Rules 4, 9 and 31 chapter V (Table 1) are the most significant and respectively describe navigational warnings, hydrographic services and danger messages. Taken as a whole, governments of maritime nations are now obliged to take all necessary steps to collect, handle, disseminate, and keep up to date nautical information and hydrographic services necessary for safe navigation in their waters. In many African states, such 'hydrographic services' are provided by European countries with which strong institutional links have been established. Countries like Spain, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom keep nautical charts and publications updated, based on data collected by the African states concerned. Unfortunately, much of the data displayed on these charts go back more than 40 years and, therefore is inadequate for the current requirements of international maritime navigation, protection of the environment or exploitation of resources. At the sixth and seventh meetings of the EAtHC, in June 2000 and October 2002, the present situation was deemed worrying by the participating Member States of the IHO, Associate Members of the Commission and Observers. As a result it was decided to create a team of experts in hydrography, marine cartography and nautical information, tasked to visit countries where a lack of surveys, charts and nautical information has been identified, provided that the countries concerned would welcome such a visit. This team became known as the West African Action Team (WAAT). The aim of the visit would be to assess national hydrographic capacity with a view to offering advice to the relevant national authorities on how to improve the collection and dissemination of nau-

2 CHAPTER V Safety of Navigation Regulation 4: Navigational warnings Each Contracting Government shall take all steps necessary to ensure that, when intelligence of any dangers is received from whatever reliable source, it shall be promptly brought to the knowledge of those concerned and communicated to other interested Governments^). Regulation 9: Hydrographic services 1 Contracting Governments undertake to arrange for the collection and compilation of hydrographic data and the publication, dissemination and keeping up to date of all nautical information necessary for safe navigation. 2 In particular, Contracting Governments undertake to co-operate in carrying out, as far as possible, the following nautical and hydrographic services, in the manner most suitable for the purpose of aiding navigation:.1 to ensure that hydrographic surveying is carried out, as far as possible, adequate to the requirements of safe navigation;.2 to prepare and issue nautical charts, sailing directions, lists of lights, tide tables and other nautical publications, where applicable, satisfying the needs of safe navigation;.3 to promulgate notices to mariners in order that nautical charts and publications are kept, as far as possible, up to date; and.4 to provide data management arrangements to support these services. 3 Contracting Governments undertake to ensure the greatest possible uniformity in charts and nautical publications and to take into account, whenever possible, relevant international resolutions and recommendations(2). 4 Contracting Governments undertake to co-ordinate their activities to the greatest possible degree in order to ensure that hydrographic and nautical information is made available on a world-wide scale as timely, reliably, and unambiguously as possible. Regulation 31: Danger messages 2 Each Contracting Government will take all steps necessary to ensure that when intelligence of any of the dangers specified in paragraph 1 is received, it will be promptly brought to the knowledge of those concerned and communicated to other interested Governments. (1) Refer to the Guidance on the IMO/IHO World-Wide Navigational Warning Service adopted by the Organization by resolution A.706 (17), as amended. (2) Refer to the appropriate resolutions and recommendations by the International Hydrographic Organization Table 1: IMO SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Convention (excerpts). tical information in the region and engender progress through regional co-operation. The next step will be decided during the ninth meeting of EAtHC now planned for the end of 2004 in Brest. Three P hases of H ydrographic Capability D evelopm ent and the O bligation to Form alise the Process w ith Bilateral A greem ents Generally, the development of a national capability can be examined in three phases (See Table 2). The first phase, the most urgent and easiest to implement, consists of organising the collection and circulation of nautical information, necessary to maintain and update existing charts and publications. Such an organisation brings together all the institutions involved in maritime activities. It provides an immediate advantage to international shipping and allows for real integration of the country into the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service (WWNWS).

3 Phases o f Development National Activity Phase One Collection and circulation of nautical information, ncccssary to maintain existing charts and publications up to date Form N ational M aritim e Safety Com m ittee Create/im prove current infrastructure to collect and circulate information Strengthen links w ith charting authority to enble updating or charts an publications Minimal training needed I Phase Two Creation o f a surveying capability to conduct: Coastal projects Off-shore projects I Establish capacity to enable surveys o f ports and their approaches M aintain adequate aids to navigation Build capacity to enable surbeys in support o f coastal and offshore areas Requires funding for training & equipm ent or contract survey work. Phase Three Produce charts and publications independently Is Phase 3 needed? (requires high investm ent for production, distribution and updating) Alternatively, bi-lateral agreements for charting can provide easier solutions and rewards. Table 2: Stages of development of hydrographic surveying and nautical charting capability. Logically, the second phase is the creation of a hydrographic survey capability, first to collect data in the coastal zone where the needs are usually the most pressing. Generally, a small structure is sufficient to collect the data required for most coastal projects e.g. surveys to assure port access. Cartographic exploitation of such new surveys can often best be handled by the historical charting authority. The third phase consists of the acquisition of the means to produce charts and publications independently. This phase cannot be achieved hastily, and will be facilitated by close co-ordination with the historical charting authority. This phase requires not only human and financial resources, but also a capacity to distribute world-wide the documents and the capability to keep them up to date. While the first phase is relatively inexpensive and the most easily implemented, phase two requires longer term planning because training and equipment acquisition are required. The cost of imple-

4 meriting phase two is low compared to total harbour revenues. On the other hand, the third phase, requires more human and financial investments, and takes longer to implement. This phase can usually be subcontracted to an existing hydrographic office, at least during the transition period. While not specifically spelled out in Chapter V of the new SOU\S convention, contracting governments are by default required to formalise the process, due to their new responsibilities. Writing and signing technical arrangements at the national level is necessary to clearly define the disposition of data, especially national holdings that are to be made available to a foreign government. The V isits The French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOM), in charge of co-ordinating the project, invited all the littoral states in West Africa, from Morocco to the Democratic Republic of Congo, to consider accepting a visit from the team of hydrographic experts. Seventeen nations responded positively, and sixteen have been visited in four trips made between the Fall of 2002 and the Spring of 2004 (Table 3). The team comprised of members from those nations which have charting responsibility in the region (France, UK and Portugal) and a representative from the US. All the visited countries are members of IMO and many of them are members of Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA). In most cases, the team was able to meet local people at three different levels : - at the highest level, with Ministers or Permanent Secretaries, where it was possible to sensitise the government to their responsibilities and highlight the important contribution that can be made by hydrography to development of the maritime arena - at the management level, with officials and managers of the government or port authorities who play a key role in planning, funding and overseeing maritime affairs. It is this level of management that will play a key role in implementing most of the follow-on actions provided in the Country Reports - at the practical level, with those individuals (Port Surveyors and Harbour Masters) who appreciated encouragement, advice and support in their work. Country IH O M em ber IM O M em ber IALA M em ber EAtH C M em ber1 N H C 2 Proposed Phase 1 Capacity Phase 2 Capacity Phase 3 Capacity Cap Verde No Yes No Assoc M Yes Partial No No M auritania3 Pending ' Yf No Assoc M No No No No Senegal No Yes Yes Assoc M Yes Partial Yes Partial T he Gambia No Yes No No Yes Partial No No Guinea-Bissau No Yes No No Yes No No No Guinea No Yes No Assoc M Yes Partial Partial No Sierra Leone No Yes Yes No No No No No Ghana No Yes Yes Assoc M Yes Partial Partial No Togo No Yes No No Yes Partial No No Benin No Yes Yes Assoc M Yes In process Yes No Nigeria Yes Yes No Member Yes Partial Partial Partial Ëquatorial Guinea No Yes Ÿes No Yes No No No Gabon No Yes No No Yes Partial Partial No Congo No Yes No No Yes Partial No No D.R.C No Yes No No Yes No N o? No Cam eroon No Yes ^Yes Assoc M Yes Partial Yes No 1 Eastern Atlantic Hydrographic Commission 2 National H ydrographic Committee 3 M auritania membership pending deposit of adhesion Table 3: Assessment of national hydrographic capability.

5 General Overview The team was struck by how different the maritime situation of each country visited was from another (Table 3). In many cases the authority with overall responsibility for safety of navigation had not been long established, and often division of areas of responsibility between Port Authorities, National Maritime Authorities and Naval Forces were not entirely clear. In many of the countries visited, the determination of maritime borders is still ongoing. Discussions with authorities of the various countries gave the WAAT the opportunity to explain the importance of modern hydrographic surveys and subsequent marine charts. Unlike land borders, which can be marked with such things as boundary stones or a barbed wire fence, the delimitation of maritime borders is not so easy. The marine chart is the only instrument that can be used to depict marine boundaries. This is true from a practical as well as a legal point of view. Additionally, this also applies to the EEZ delimitation, which is determined from baselines drawn from the coastline. Maritime defense and security arrangements were generally considered to be a weak area in most of the countries visited. Concerns were often expressed about piracy and other criminal activity at sea. Naval and Coast Guard forces were often found to be under-funded and under-resourced to carry out their tasks and there is a lack of infrastructure to enable adequate coastal surveillance and communications. Hence these forces are generally not in a position to play a strong role in coordination of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) broadcasts and Search and Rescue (SAR). Therefore priority must be given to implement phase 1 of hydrographic development, which could clarify tasks and responsibilities of the various involved players and identify a focal point for collecting and disseminating Maritime Safety Information (MSI). Detailed Situation and Proposals for Capacity Building- National Hydrographic Committee or Maritime Safety Committee The visits helped draw attention to the importance of hydrography to the development of a maritime state. It was well understood at all levels that a high-level group could easily be created to study hydrographic matters within the broader context of maritime safety and security issues. Besides problems of coastal erosion in many countries, as well as offshore oil production in others, it was noted that maritime security, particularly in response to the threat posed by piracy and criminal activity, was a major concern and appeared to dominate the agenda. The team drew attention to the new SOLAS regulation regarding the government s responsibility to provide hydrographic services, noting that the only hydrographic capability very often resided in the Port Authority. This emphasised the need for high-level co-ordination and planning in order to make the most of limited resources in developing a national hydrographic service. The defense forces invariably have a role to play in this highlevel body; always as expert users of hydrographic data, and sometimes as qualified surveyors. In countries with offshore oil production, it appears that the collection of hydrographic and other MSI data from the private oil companies is not effective. Participation by an expert of the main petroleum companies to the National Hydrographic Committee and/or Maritime Safety Committee is advised. A suggested Terms of Reference and tasks for a national maritime safety committee is suggested (Table 4). Potential for Development of National Capability, or for Improved Liaison with Co-ordinating Authorities Countries generally expressed a desire to improve the safety of navigation in their waters and to build a national hydrographic capability to serve their needs into the future. The team was careful to emphasise that the development of a national capability must proceed in logical steps, the first of which is to have an organisation that can deal with the collection and dissemination of nautical information. In most cases there was a great deal of important safety information that was known locally but not transmitted to the correct authority for navigational warnings or charting action. The most logical focal point was normally the Harbour Master s organisation, however, information in the coastal waters was often gathered by other agencies such as the Navy or Fisheries Department or the Energy Department in case of oil producing nations. Hence the need for improved co-ordina-

6 TORs FOR A NATIONAL MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE To advise governmental authorities on the: * Safety of navigation in the EEZ and national waters * Recovery of revenues and funding of maritime safety services * Implications of international maritime regulations and conventions * Law enforcement in the EEZ and national waters => The MSC * should involve the Navy. Ministries in charge of transport, communications, natural resources, environment, ports, as well as representatives of shipping companies *should meet regularly to monitor maritime developments and revise national maritime policy navigation may invite regional observers dealing with safety of TASKS OF THE NATIONAL MARITIME SAFETY COMMITTEE => To acquire official recognition by the Government => Submit a structure for taking responsibilities for: * maritime safety information * hydrographic surveys * nautical charting * aids to navigation * oil spill response * search and rescue * law enforcement in maritime zones => Advise the government on the relevant international standards and the means for achieving them => Submit to the Government proposals for recovery of revenues and funding of the services => Advise the Government on the application of relevant international regulations Table 4: Suggested terms of reference and tasks for a national maritime safety committee.

7 tion between these types of authorities clearly exists. In some of the countries Port Surveyors represented the only national hydrographic experts and were generally identified as the logical base upon which to build a national Hydrographic Service. In the some countries, having several trained hydrographers to monitor subcontracted hydrographic surveys seems to be a pragmatic and practical approach. Tasks beyond the port limits need to be identified and prioritised before considering what additional trained personnel are needed and what equipment should be purchased. Several issues arise that need close co-ordination between authorities. For example, wrecks outside of the port limits are usually the responsibility of the National Maritime Authority, but the Port Authority, or the Navy, might have the only means to find and position them. Once again, co-ordination and communication is the key to building an effective organisation. In the short term, all the countries have been invited to use SafetyNET as an interim arrangement prior to any NAVTEX stations becoming operational, and to make contact with NAVAREA II co-ordinator in Brest. To effectively use this solution, all the countries must determine a focal point to collect and validate information on a 24 hours a day basis. Regional Co-operative Opportunities The differences between each country (language, political situation, capabilities...) seem to outweigh a regional approach. Except in very few cases this regional concept has not been successfully explored. Equally, there must be a degree of political and economic stability within a region before joint initiatives can be launched between neighbouring countries. Nevertheless some co-operation exists and more should be developed: - one example is Mauritania, Senegal, and The Gambia using complementary and unique means, i.e., the sharing of a buoy tender and a dredger - the Tema radio coastal station, could broadcast information towards neighbouring countries and mariners. Urgent Global M aritim e Distress and Safety System (G M D SS) Actions There are no NAVTEX stations along the coast of West Africa in the EAtHC area and only one country sends Maritime Safety information (MSI) to the NAVAREA II co-ordinator (EPSHOM in Brest). Many of the countries visited have stated intentions in the GMDSS Master Plan to have A l (VHF) and some have decided to implement A2 (HF) coverage, for example Senegal. However, all countries except Ghana have been unable to confirm an operational plan. Developing the first phase of hydrographic services could be an opportunity for regional co-operation between the identified agencies, for instance under the aegis of EAtHC. Training The team provided information, whenever appropriate, on training which is available in North America and Europe, including the International Maritime Academy in Trieste. The Regional Maritime Academy in Accra, Ghana, is one example of a potential location for regional hydrographic training in the future. On the other hand, an efficient and more economical dissemination method is possible. Taking into account the short coastlines of some countries compared with the relatively large NAVTEX station coverage, a regional approach should be organised to fix station implementation along the coast to handle the region instead of on a country by country basis. A national point of contact for GMDSS issues should be identified to discuss the national strategy with the I MO. Funding In general, some of the revenues from the port fees could and should be reinvested in the maintenance of the fairways and buoys. Moreover, many sources of incomes from maritime activities could be made available (for example fishing and off-shore exploration) and some financial aid might be found which could be linked to those activities. Funding for the pursuit of hydrography and charting in and of itself is not attractive to donor organisations. However hydrography is a necessary first step for many needed maritime projects, (eg buoyage, environmental protection, fishing, aquaculture, etc. and of course infrastructure development).

8 E xam ples of Propositions and First Results The seventeen visit reports show more than 120 proposals which can be listed in three categories: 1. Proposals for co-ordination and capacity building; they can in general be conducted at national level. The main items are: National Hydrographic Committee, MSI organisation and GMDSS, reversion from hydrographic initiatives benefits, and establishing a hydrographic capability (phase 2). 2. Proposals for assistance; the main matters are: training, equipment and funding; they can involve a foreign country. Training opportunities are usually not a problem. 3. Follow up actions: - formation of a National Hydrographic Committee - provision of hydrographic services in accordance with SOLAS - encouragement of effective and timely collection and promulgation of hydrographic Information (easy to set up) - encouragement of development of a Hydrographic Capability - clarification through bilaterals of the way SOLAS commitments are en(d)forced. Positive results have already come to light: examples: - Cape Verde has strengthened links between the Port Authority and the Portuguese Hydrographic Office; 7 actions are now ongoing, initiated by the Cape Verde Minister of Infrastructures and Transportation - Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal have sent representatives to visit SHOM and NAVAREA II coordination center in Brest - France and Senegal have entered into an agreement in order to address responsibilities as outlined in the new SOLAS Convention - Togo has formed a national hydrographic committee and such a committee is under development in Nigeria - Benin and Nigeria are receiving hydrographic training in France and in United Kingdom - Cameroon will apply for joining the IHO At the same time American survey ships Littlehales and Henson and French hydrographic ships Lapérouse and Borda have recently surveyed off some main ports. The next EAtHC conference planned in France at the end of 2004 will be the next opportunity to strengthen links between the maritime countries in hydrographic and maritime charting matters and to prepare future. A technical workshop concerning SOLAS and MSI is planned to coincide with this conference. Many decisions have to be taken at the political level to improve safety life at sea. The first actions could take momentum and eventually snowball. These experiences could also be applicable to maritime countries in other navigation areas. mlegouic@shom.fr